Ukraine’s desperate efforts to draft soldiers have prompted 14 Ukrainian MPs to follow Russia’s example and on Wednesday, the 13th of March, a bill was proposed that would allow prisoners to serve in the army, reports Politico.
Ukraine has thousands of convicts who want to join the army, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska told Ukrainian national TV last week, adding that he sees nothing wrong with conscripting people who know how to kill if they can help eliminate Russian invaders.
Ukrainian law currently does not allow prisoner conscription,
but at the start of the Russian invasion the Ukrainian government pardoned more than 300 prisoners who wanted to join the army. Minister Maliuska noted that some of them became heroes and received medals, while others stayed in the rear without causing significant harm.
Maliuska stated that the draft law allowing prisoners to join the army would be considered immediately, as he had not encountered any objections from MPs. The Minister stressed that there is a broad understanding of the potential contribution of convicts, as many have expressed their willingness to defend their country.
However, Ukrainian lawmakers have yet to develop rules to control prisoners, including decisions on possible sentence reductions.
Minister Maliuska pointed out that not all military commanders are ready to accept convicts into their units and that nothing will be imposed on anyone, as the plan is to create separate units. He added that only those prisoners who have served most of their sentences and do not pose a threat to society will be allowed to join the army.
“The military asked us to exclude from possible mobilisation those
who have violated military discipline and committed crimes while fulfilling military duty.
They also do not want to see those who have committed crimes against the state. Therefore, such categories are unlikely to be mobilised,” he was quoted as saying.
For more than two years, Russia has conscripted convicts, with Yevgeny Prigozhin touring prisons before his death and offering pardons to prisoners who joined his Wagner mercenaries. After Prigozhin’s failed uprising and his death, the Russian Ministry of Defence set up special battalions, mostly made up of prisoners, called “Storm-V” and “Storm-Z”.
The Ukrainian bill reflects the country’s pressing need for more troops in the face of constant Russian attacks. The country needs around 500 000 new recruits to rotate its forces and replenish its losses.
Efforts to revise the mobilisation law are also ongoing and proposals to lower the age of conscription from 27 to 25 face political opposition in the light of human rights concerns and corruption risks.
Also read: Denmark to begin conscripting women into military service
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